1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to drain bag assemblies that attach to a diagnostic urology table.
2. Prior Art
In the field of urology, a urologist will often perform an examination or other medical procedure while a patient is lying or sitting on a specially designed diagnostic urology table. An example of such a diagnostic urology table is the UROVIEW 2000 manufactured and sold by OEC-DIASONICS, Inc. of Salt Lake City, Utah. During an examination or medical procedure, the patient will often excrete waste fluids. Depending on the nature of the examination or medical procedure, such waste fluids may be disposed of or collected for further analysis. The accumulation of such waste fluids is usually done with a drain bag or drain pan assembly that is attached to the diagnostic urology table. The use of a drain pan rather than a drain bag is generally at the preference of the urologist. Certain procedures may dictate the use of one of these devices to the exclusion of the other.
Typically, drain bag or drain pan assemblies are located at the perineal end of the diagnostic urology table directly between the urologist and the patient. Drain bag assemblies are designed to create a minimum of obstruction to the urologist. A drain bag assembly primarily comprises a drain bag, a support mechanism to hold the drain bag in place, a tube attached to the bottom of the drain through which the fluids are removed from the bag and attachment means for attaching the drain bag assembly to the diagnostic urology table.
Weickgenannt, U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,836 discloses a drain bag assembly with pivotally interconnected parts that is removably coupled to a urological table. The pivotally interconnected parts of the Weickgennant patent allow a urologist to varyingly distort the configuration of the frame in a horizontal direction. However, once the urologist removes pressure from the frame, the frame reverts back to its original configuration. This may become cumbersome to the urologist particularly if the medical procedure being performed requires continual removal of pressure from the frame assembly, e.g. to pick up instruments. It would be desirable for a drain bag assembly whose configuration could be dynamically distorted, while at other times be fixed into a position selected by the urologist.
The Weickgenannt reference, like known drain bag assembly designs require removal of the assembly if a drain pan is to be used. Conversely, if a drain bag is to be used, a drain pan assembly would have to be removed. In order to avoid the requirement of removing and attaching drain bag/pan assemblies, it would be desirable for an assembly to be non-removably coupled to the diagnostic urology table that could accommodate either a drain pan or drain bag.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a drain bag support assembly that is non-removably coupled to a urological table and accommodates a drain pan or drain bag and further allows for fixing the assembly in a position selected by the urologist.